melvin|kernan is working for Woolwich Township in Gloucester County, NJ on a Transfer of Development Rights Plan.  The Woolwich Township TDR Plan will serve as a model for sustainable development in southern New Jersey.  It will demonstrate how thousands of acres of farmland and open space can be preserved by transferring development potential into a designated growth area and how proper planning can create attractive, functional and environmentally responsible development patterns.  The designated preservation areas will support the continuation of agriculture, while also preserving scenic vistas and protecting environmentally sensitive resources.  TDR is a much preferred growth management alternative to conventional “sprawl” which consumes the countryside with low density, car-oriented development patterns, and generates huge tax burdens on a community.  In New Jersey, TDR can only be implemented once the New Jersey State Planning Commission grants Initial Plan Endorsement to a community.  This is an official determination that the community’s planning documents are consistent with the State Development and Redevelopment Plan.  melvin|kernan is preparing the necessary documentation to ensure that Woolwich Township receives Plan Endorsement.